Refrigerator.



No. 880,867. PATENTED MAR. 3, 1908.

G. E. EDGAR.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 26, 1906.

2 SHEETSSHEBT 1.

No. 880,867.- PATENTED MAR. 3, 1908.

G. E. EDGAR.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ore.

CHARLES E. EDGAR, OF PARSONS, KANSAS, As'sIcNoR TO THE EDGARMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF KANSAS CITY,

MIssoURI, A ooR-P'oRA Io or MIssoURI.

REFRIGERATOR.

Na esaecr.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 3, 1908 Application filed June 26. 1906- Serial No.323.285-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLEs- E. EDGAR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Parsons, in the county of Labette and State of Kansas, haveinvented certain new and use ful IIn rovqments in Refrigerators, ofwhich the follbwiifg is a specification.

My invention relates in general to a refrigerator and is designedespecially for one that is to be used in hotels, theaters, residences,refrigerator cars, etc., in connection with a central plant or supplystation that-furnishes the refrigerant.

The objects of my invention are to construct a simple apparatus of thischaracter operating without frost or dampness outside of the machine andadapted to control the temperature, humidity and circulation of airwithin the chamber in which it is placed; and it consists in the main ofan outer casing inclosing a refrigerating surface, a tank for therefrigerant, a valve for controlling the flow of the refrigerant withinthe tank, and a vertical shaft within the casing provided with an airfan at one end and a rotar pump at the other end which force air andbrine, respectively, over the refrigerating surface; the air fan alsoentraining air'through an opening in the top of the casing and blowingthe air from within thecasing out through a series of apertures disposedsubstantially at the bottom thereof.

Particular attention is called to the construction of the float in thevalve, it being open at its bottom end so thatit has the same pressureon the inside as the outside exce t the small pressure due to the heightoft e liquid from the bottom edge of the float. to the liquid levelwithin, which permits a float to be used of exceedingly lightconstruction as there is always gas rising under it that buoys it upwhen the device is in operation.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sec-v F 1g. 2 1s across-sectiontion' of my device; on the line 22 of Fig. '1; Fig. 3 'i'sa crosssection on the line 33 ofFigg- 1; and Fig. 4

is an enlarged verticals'ection of the valve.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 5 represen'tsfthecasing inc-losing the tank 6,which latter affords a refrigerat ingsurface and receives the" refrigerant through the supply pipe 7connected to the central plant, the gases that form within the tank 6passing out through the pipe 8 connected therewith. The-tank is providedhow with an extension refrigerating surface 9 in the'form of an annularchamber which is secured to and communicates with the bottom of thetank, while its lower end is closed and secured to the casing 10 of acentrifugal pump hereinafterdescribe'd. Coiled about the tank and itsextension is a pipe 11, one end of which communicates with the tank at12 while the other end communicates with the lower portion of theextension tank at 13, and Within this pipe is a refrigerant, forming anadditional refrigerating surface.

Secured within the casing and seated upon the angle irons 14 securedthereto is the brine reservoir 15, adapted to contain brine or the likeand. within which is the casing 10 of the centrifugal pump, having anopening 16 into a pipe and secured to said brine reservoir by means ofthe lugs 17, said casing 10 inclosing a centrifugal pump pistondesignated as a whole at 18, that is rotated by a vertical shaft 19 sup)orted by a pipe 20 communicating with the brine tank and serving as adischarge pipe for the brine. The discharge pipe 20 is attached at itstop by means of collar 21 to an electric motor, designated as a whole at22, to which the shaft is connected by suitable means, and at the topend of the shaft above the motor I provide a fan 23 to entrain the airfrom the chamber through an opening 24 in the casing 5 and drive itdownward through the casing, around therefrigerating surface and outthrough the openings 25, annularly disposed around the casing near itsbottom end.

As a means for filling thebrine tank I provide the same with adownwardly extending pipe 53 to which a valve 54, of the ordinary form,is secured and adapted to be coupled with a hose or the like for thepurpose of filling the tank. The pipe is arranged to extend downwardlyin order that the tank may be easily drained, as well as for the reasonthat the pi e becomes frosted during the operation of t e machine,causing moisture to accumulate thereon which will be caught in theoverflow" tank.

26 is the controlling means for the motor.

To confine the brine asclosely as possible to the refrigerating surfaceI provide the top of the tank 6 with the serrations 27.and the ar flange28 which extends out substaneven with the coiled pipe so that the ofbrine is checked 'and distributed evenlypver the upper surface ofthe-tank as annul reservoir 32 is disposed below an opening 33 in thebottom of the casing 5 to catch any brine splattered over the edge ofthe brine reservoir or caused'by brine absorbing damp-' ness from theair as it passes through the machine.

Referring now to the valve mechanism in detail, shown in Figs. 3 and 4,34 is a'casing provided with a chamber 35 with which the sup ly pipe 7communicates and is provided wit the casing 34 for the purpose ofconveniently reaching the valve in case it is desired to remove thesame. Within said chamber is the valve cage 37 provided with a stem 38adapted to be screwed into the casing of the chamber, said cage havingapertures 39 communicating with the chamber and a movable cap 40 securedto the cage by a through pin 41; said cap having a groove 42 in itsupper surface in order that it may be removed by a screw driver or thelike after the through pin is removed. The stem is axially bored, asshown at 43, to communicate with the refrigerating tank and valve cageand adapted to receive a valve stem 44 which operates the ball valve 45within the cage. float lever 46, one end of which is connected to thevalve stem and is fulcrumed at 47, is provided with the jaws 48connected to the float 49 by the links 50 which are pivoted to the jawsand to the lugs 51 on the float. The float is provided with an openbottom and an apertured top, and in the'preferred form I encircle theaperture with a depending annular flange 52. The discharge pipe passesthrough the apertured end of said float and the annular flange so as toform a guide for the float when it rises or falls. The flange, however,may be omitted if desired, as the aperture may be so constructed as topermit a free sliding movement of the float on the discharge pipewithout the escape of any gas therethrough. By constructing the floatopen at its bottom end the gases from the refrigerant fill the spacebetween the upper surface of the liquid in the float and the top of thefloat which buoys it up and consequently permits a much lighter float tobe used.

The device operates as follows: The refrigerant from the main supplytank (not shown) passes through the pipe 7 into the chamber 35, throughthe valve and into the tank 5, extension tank 9 and pipe 11, thequantity of the/refrigerant being regulated by the valve, and the pipe 8affording means for the passage of the gas out ofthe tank.

a plug 36 adapted to be screwed into At any desired time the motor isset in operation whereupon the centrifugal pump forces the brine in thebrine tank up through the discharge pipe and out through the aperturestherein whereupon it runs from the top surface of the tank around theserrations and down over the pipe 11, tank- 6 and its extension; thebaffle plates in this instance serving to keep the brine in contact withthe refrigerating surface and to direct it back to the brine tank. Andto further prevent a condensation or frost forming upon therefrigerating surfaces I rovide the fan 23 which entrains'the air mm thepipe in the top of the casing 5 and carries it down throu h said casingand out the apertures 25, the

baffle plates in this instance preventing any I w brine from beingcarried out of the casing by" the forced air. Thus the fan has twofunctions, besides operating conjointly with the centrifugal pump;namely, in forcing the cold air within the casing out into the chamher,and also entraining the free air from within the chamber, thus producinga circulation of air within the room or chamber l in which therefrigerator is situated.

Having now described my invention, and

wishing it understood that I do not confine myself to the precisedetails of construction what I claim is:

1. In a refrigerator, the combination of a casing provided with portsfor the intake and exit of air, a refrigerant tank and a brine tankwithin the casing, a shaft, a tube in closing the shaft andcommunicating with the brine tank, a fan at one end of the shaft and acentrifugal pump at its other end, ports in said tube, and means forrotating said a shaft within said discharge pipe, a cen-.

" trifugal pump at the lower end of said. shaft and within said brinetank, a fan at the other end of said shaft, and means for turning saidshaft, substantially as described.

3. In a refrigerator, the combination of a casing, areservoir Withinsaid casing, valvecontrolled means for supplying said reservoir with arefrigerant, a coilof pipes surrounding and communicating with saidreservoir,-'a motor within said casing, a shaft for said motor, anair-fan and a centrifugal pump on said shaft, a brine reservoir, saidpump being in communication with said brine reservoir whereby when saidshaft is rotated by said motor said liquid is discharged about saidinsaid casinifor the intake and exit of air,

reservoir and coil of pipe'and the atmosphere a series of ba e platesarranged between said 15 within said casing is circulated downwardapertures, means for supplyin brineto said for the purposes described.centrifugal pump, whereby w en said shaft 5 '4. In a refrigerator, thecombination of a is rotated brine is discharged upon said casing, areservoir and a motor within said reservoir for the purpose ofpreventing frost casing, valve-controlled means for supplying fromaccumulating thereon and air is cir- 20 said reservoir with arefrigerant liquid, a culated within said casing, substantially as pipecommunicating with said reservoirand and for the purposes described. 10adapted to carry away the gases therefrom, 1 v CHARLES E. EDGAR.

a shaft for said motor, an air fan and a cen- Witnesses: trifugal pumpon said shaft arranged above W. C. KING, and below said motor,respectively, apertures W. T. CLUNY.

